November is our very first month! I’m churning with conflicting emotions about it, if I’m being honest. It can be scary to begin something new and to step out in faith. It also comes at a difficult time because I’ve suffered some loss lately and I’m feeling quiet, introspective, and in my feels.
I sat here often over the past week or so wondering if I should put this on pause. Wondered, what would I have to offer when I’m feeling things so deeply? But that’s exactly why I should forge ahead. I’ve never tried to be a typical “YouTuber.” I’ve never pretended that life is perfect all the time with gorgeous hair and flawless makeup. I’ve always presented myself online exactly as I present myself in real life…as authentically as I can. And sometimes that means you get me when I’m flying high, and sometimes when I’m in a valley.
The unexpected death of my brother John a week ago has affected me WAY more than I ever dreamed it would. It’s left me feeling some type of way about life, my family, and my own mortality. I’ve basically just been processing for the past week trying to make heads or tails about what it is that I am feeling, because even I’m not sure. It’s a swirling ocean of depth that is hard to articulate. So I’ve spent a lot of time in stillness and solitude just allowing the emotions to be. Quietly holding space for myself.
I know that to help facilitate the process and to make my way back to the light, gratitude is essential. And what better month to both go deep and also focus on gratitude but November (at least here in the USA with Thanksgiving coming quickly)? The falling away of things so recently alive and vibrant, a hush falls over the world as we know it. We retreat inside seeking shelter and warmth. We allow ourselves a separation from others, from the world. We allow ourselves a stillness not known to the summer months. We surrender to the falling away.
It is a necessary season. A season of reflection and rest before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and new year. This is a season that is exactly what you make of it…cold and depressing with it’s crisp, chilly air and gray skies…or cozy and beautiful with it’s warm sweaters and blankets and trees ablaze with colored leaves. It’s a choose your own adventure based on which perspective you choose.
So let’s begin this journey together. This November let us focus on doing the necessary shadow work, journaling, and going within. But then let’s also focus on GRATITUDE! Let’s focus on the beauty and the love. Let’s see if we can find the Divine in everything we see, touch, or feel.
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments of all the posts! I encourage you all to dive into this community we have created and share freely. Please be respectful (as I know you are and will be). Let’s grow, learn, and enjoy this life together. xoxo, V.
